Describe your image
Describe your image
DOO-EAT
Finding Inspiration in Every Turn
Doo-Eat
Dounia Silem became a Simply Gascony ‘Working Partner’ by accident – as is the way with many good things! In August 2023, one of the SG rental groups wanted a cook, we recommended Laura Washburn (an established WP) but Laura was already booked…however Laura had recently met Dounia and admired her cooking skills…so SG contacted Dounia who happily agreed to fill the gap. Our rental guests were delighted with Dounia’s dinner, everything worked smoothly, and we immediately knew that Dounia was someone we could work with.
Originally from the Paris region, Dounia decided 10 years ago to settle in Southwest France, first in the Arcachon Basin in Gironde and then a year ago she moved to Gascony, pulled here by “this magnificent and exciting countryside”.
Dounia says:
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“Cooking has always been part of my daily life thanks to the delicious aromas of the little dishes created by my mother, my grandmother, my aunts... so it has the flavours of the North of France thanks to this maternal tradition but also from the Mediterranean, from North Africa, thanks to my father coming from Algeria. I call this the mixture of The Two Norths and I have now added to it the Gascon touch!"
Dounia trained in Nutrition and then specialised in Dietetic and Organic Cooking, so there is a strong scientific and health foundation to her cooking. Dounia wanted to find harmony between the flavours that she loves and the nutritional balance essential to health and well-being. This passion led her to create her business Doo-Eat in 2008, to show that:
“…healthy food can be delicious, so I let people taste this and then be seduced by greed!”
Dounia now creates gourmet recipes full of vitality and shares this knowledge to make this cuisine becomes common sense, so that you can stay in shape and enjoy yourself. Dounia loves working with groups, teaching, and sharing knowledge – through events, trade shows, classes and other activities, such as dance and yoga. Dounia’s home workshop includes a Pilates studio…:
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“I offer my healthy cooking and its nutritional benefits in a friendly and fun way, practical and clever at the same time: I believe that good taste is good for you!"
Dounia also offers cooked meals for guests in an SG rental property with service, or buffets allowing customers to have a tailor-made catering service, respecting their tastes and even their allergies or food choices (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, etc.).
Like all the best cooks, Dounia is deeply concerned with the quality of the ingredients, their origin, their seasonality, and their variety. Now that she lives in Gascony this concern has become even more important as she seeks to work more closely with local producers. Sharing their products is very important, whether by cooking for clients, organizing discovery workshops or simply talking about their work. Dounia is excited by the growing interest in cooking, and cooking combined with other forms of leisure and practicality, with usefulness, conviviality and sharing. In conclusion, she says:
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“Gascon cuisine creates perfect opportunities to explore the gastronomic, cultural and human wealth of this beautiful area. I am very grateful to all of you who trust me to prepare these delicacies and I invite you to join me in the kitchen.”
You will deal directly with Dounia at www.doo-eat.fr – we will simply provide you with the introduction to her.
Dounia Silem
Lieu-dit Cariton 32250 Montréal du Gers
T : 0033 6 28 07 44 15